What types of cancer are most likely to be curable?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Dr. Le Tan Dat, Internal Medicine Oncologist, Radiation Oncology Center of Vinmec Times City International Hospital, Vinmec Central Park.
Because the time to live from the time of diagnosis to death of most cases of terminal cancer is usually less than 6 months, many people still think that: when diagnosing a case of cancer, cancer means there is a death sentence for the patient. But in fact, there are some types of cancer that are quite curable. Here are the 5 most curable types of cancer.

1. Prostate Cancer

The 5-year survival rate after diagnosis is 100%.
Factors that increase the likelihood of recovery: Many prostate tumors grow slowly or do not make a big difference to the point of needing treatment. Patients often die from reasons other than prostate cancer. When is the chance of a cure low: if the cancer has metastasized, it is much more difficult to treat, with only 28% of men living more than 5 years after diagnosis. Fortunately, doctors often diagnose prostate cancer before it spreads. Currently, there are many methods to treat prostate cancer, depending on the stage and condition of the patient such as: total prostatectomy, transurethral endoscopic prostatectomy, radiation therapy. , endocrine treatment,... Up to now, Vinmec Hospital has successfully operated on urogenital - genitourinary pathologies, including surgery to treat early prostate cancer with a success rate of up to 95%. Screening: There are two main ways to screen for prostate cancer. Rectal examination or quantitative PSA blood test. If you have trouble urinating or see blood in your urine you should see your doctor as this could be a symptom of prostate cancer or other prostate problems. See also: How much PSA indicates the risk of prostate cancer?

2. Thyroid cancer

If detected early, the 5-year survival rate after diagnosis is nearly 100%.
Factors that increase the likelihood of recovery: The most common thyroid cancer is papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), which is often slow growing. Even if the tumor is large and begins to grow into nearby tissues, doctors can still treat it, and possibly even cure it, by removing the thyroid gland. In the treatment of thyroid cancer, surgery plays the most important role in determining the outcome of treatment. After total thyroidectomy, the patient was treated with I131 and hormone replacement therapy, which both added hormones to maintain body activity and reduced TSH levels to help maintain long-term stable disease. . After surgery, the patient must take thyroid hormone replacement medication. When is the cure low: A rare type of thyroid cancer, anaplastic carcinoma, has a 5-year survival rate of just under 7%. Thyroid cancer screening. Thyroid diseases are often left undiagnosed in 20-60% of the total population. Therefore, it is advisable to consult a specialist to diagnose at an early stage common thyroid diseases such as simple goiter, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, thyroiditis, thyroid nodules, thyroid cancer, etc. so that appropriate and timely treatment measures can be taken. There is no recommended test to screen for thyroid cancer. See your doctor if you feel swelling in your neck or have any symptoms such as difficulty breathing or swallowing.

3. Testicular cancer

Percentage of patients surviving 5 years after being diagnosed: 95.3%.
Factors that increase the chance of recovery: In the early stages, when the tumor has not spread to other organs, doctors can cure testicular cancer by surgically removing 1 or both testicles. tumor. When is the likelihood of a cure low: For patients diagnosed at a later stage, treatment often combines surgery with radiation therapy or chemotherapy. However, the 5-year survival rate at this stage is 73%. Screening: No test is used to screen for testicular cancer. Men should regularly check their testicles. If you find that one side is abnormally large and the other small, you should see a doctor.

4. Skin cancer

The 5-year survival rate after diagnosis is 91.5%.
Factors that increase the likelihood of recovery: Skin cancer usually has the following types: squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma and melanoma. Most types of skin cancer can be detected with the naked eye, but to determine it requires pathology (usually minor surgery, the specimen will be read under a microscope to look at the cell characteristics). If there is no metastasis, it can be treated by surgical removal. When is a low chance of a cure: Without early treatment, skin cancer is more likely to invade or metastasize to other parts of the body, or to infect or bleed. At that time, the treatment will be very difficult. The probability of living over 5 years is only 15-20%. Screening: Regularly check the size, color, irregular shape of the skin and the increase of moles. Especially check around the back, scalp, scrotum and in between the toes.

5. Breast Cancer

It is important to know that there are many types of breast cancer (different in cell type, endocrine receptor expression pattern, genotype). The overall 5-year survival rate after diagnosis in the early stages (stages 0 and 1) is close to 100%.
Factors that increase the likelihood of recovery: Modern medicine has made great strides in the treatment of breast cancer in women. Drugs used in the treatment of breast cancer work to kill cancer cells or stop the growth of cancer cells. The specialist will choose the appropriate treatment depending on the type of cancer, how far it has spread, and how advanced it is. Low chance of cure when: Breast cancer that has metastasized will have a lower chance of cure compared to when the cancer is at an early stage. On the other hand, it is not possible to save the breast at that time, but to have a mastectomy. Screening: Screening and detecting the disease at an early stage is considered the key in successful treatment of breast cancer. Because by specific treatment measures such as surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and combined with other advanced methods: hormone therapy, biology (targeted treatment), breast cancer patients life can be saved. Stage 1 breast cancer usually has a high survival rate (over 5 years) of 80-90%. Vinmec International General Hospital has been implementing breast cancer screening packages to assist customers in examining and detecting the disease early for timely treatment.
Package details at:
Breast cancer screening package

6. Cancer treatment at Vinmec Hospital

Vinmec Cancer Center - Radiation Therapy is one of the centers in Vietnam that is fully equipped with cancer treatment modalities: From surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, pain treatment and palliative care. The diagnosis is made carefully: blood tests, advanced imaging techniques such as: PET/CT, SPECT/CT, MRI..., blood-marrow test (when indicated), biopsy, immunohistochemical staining, diagnosis by molecular biology. The treatment process is closely coordinated with many specialties: Center for Diagnostic Imaging, Laboratory Testing, Cardiology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Endocrinology, Department of Rehabilitation....
Diseases Before treatment, all patients are approved by a professional council (Multidisciplinary Tumor Board), with the participation of leading experts: Oncology Surgeon, Internal Oncologist, Oncologist, Pathologist, Diagnostic Imaging,...
Treatment protocols comply with international clinical practice guidelines (USA, Europe) (regularly updated), as well as consult oncology hospitals in the region and in the country (the basic protocol of the Ministry of Health of Vietnam) to bring about the most optimal cancer treatment results, suitable for each patient. .

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